1/30/2023 Emily Jankauski
Charles Schroeder, James Economy Professor in Materials Science and Engineering and professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, has been elected to the 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows for his “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements in the scientific enterprise.”
Written by Emily Jankauski
URBANA, Ill. — We’re making a materials legacy. Charles Schroeder’s election to the 2022 American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows is sheer proof.
The James Economy Professor in Materials Science and Engineering and professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering is being recognized for his “scientifically and socially distinguished achievements in the scientific enterprise.”
Schroeder first learned about his academic achievement while glancing at his email during a cool-down from a run.
“I was just extremely happy — and very vocal about it,” he joked.
Once it sank in, he recalled his former Ph.D. co-advisor Steve Chu’s, the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics and Molecular and Cellular Biology at Stanford University, view of this acknowledgment.
“He impressed upon me the importance and distinction of being named as a AAAS fellow,” said Schroeder, who recalled Chu’s advice after his own recognition as a AAAS fellow in 2000. “This is an extremely prestigious honor, and something that I deeply value.”
Schroeder’s name is now etched in the prolific list of AAAS fellows, including Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb; Ellen Ochoa, veteran astronaut and first Hispanic and second woman director in the Johnson Space Center’s history; and W.E.B. Du Bois, civil rights activist, co-founder of the NAACP and first African American to earn a doctorate — a feat that isn’t lost on him.
“I am incredibly humbled to be amongst the company of such highly respected scientists,” said Schroeder, who joins the (insert number)-member class of 2022 AAAS fellows. “There’s been tremendous advances in science coming from these researchers, and to be part of that group of people is really meaningful to me.”
He also considers this to be a reflection of his group’s progress and impact — true evidence that his group’s work is being recognized by others in the field.
“Only with the hard work and creativity of my outstanding research group members, including all of the Ph.D. students, undergrads and postdocs, are we able to make an impact.”
This is crucial for Schroeder as he considers it all too easy to get caught up in the academic rigmarole.
“We all tend to work really hard, but the danger is getting stuck in a cycle of simply doing the next thing,” Schroeder said, “But, you need to take a step back and think about, ‘What impact are we making? Are we working on important problems that people care about?’”
“Most of our work is fundamental, focused on basic science and technology development, with downstream applications in engineering,” Schroeder said, “Together with my colleagues at Illinois, we have many exciting projects in the pipeline, so stay tuned!”
***
Schroeder is a world-leader in soft materials dynamics. His group studies the molecular-scale motion and behavior of polymers, vesicles, membranes and colloidal particles to create new functional materials.
His group developed the Stokes trap to advance the study of materials in precisely controlled non-equilibrium conditions. In this area, his group’s work focuses on single polymer dynamics, vesicle fusion and precise measurement of interparticle interactions when not confined on a surface or being manipulated by external forces.
Schroeder is also making strides in automated synthesis for materials discovery. His group has used automated chemical synthesis to create libraries of materials for molecular electronics applications, which is extremely beneficial for discovery of new functional materials.
He is one of seven of University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign faculty to be named a 2022 AAAS fellow. The full list of UIUC faculty earning this achievement include:
- James Eckstein, physics
- Kara Federmeier, psychology
- Atul Jain, atmospheric sciences
- Liviu Mirica, chemistry
- Grigore Rosu, computer science
- M. Taher Saif, MechSE
- Charles Schroeder, MatSE